BERLIN — The assassination of the right-wing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn and a series of mass shootings at a German school and at legislatures in Switzerland and France have shaken the European notion that such incidents can happen only in America.

Europeans have always assured themselves that, though not as predictable as Canadians, or as lobotomized as Singaporeans, they are at least not like psychotic, gun-toting, bloodthirsty, violence-loving, warmongering, child-eating Americans.

Most shocking for Europeans has been the recent spate of mass killings. In Erfurt, Germany, last month, an expelled student killed 13 teachers, 2 students, a policeman and himself.

“Germans are in a state of shock,” said Klaus Borman, a Bundestag lawmaker. “Most are asking, ‘How could it happen here? How could a mass slaughter of innocent human beings happen in a place like Germany?’”

The French, with their peaceful, stable political history, are also ‘shocked, shocked’ that politics in their bucolic land founded by peoples such as the Vandals and Visigoths could take such a violent turn.

Italians, though not as shocked that a criminal element exists in their society, joined with stunned and grieving French, Dutch, Swiss and Germans in their assessments that their peaceful social utopias have been infected by violent American culture.

Yet Europeans who have traditionally referred to high-crime areas as “a Bronx” or “a Chicago,” and have called acts of violence as “an American situation,” are beginning to see a role reversal of national characters.

Recently an American talk show host expressed dismay that America is no longer innocent, but is being infected with “sick, depraved, bloodthirsty Euro culture of violence and dark ideologies.”

In New York City, people now refer to a muggings as “getting Eurotrashed,” assassinated politicians are said to have been “Dutched” and the term “going postal,” referring to mass shootings at workplaces by psychotic individuals, has been replaced with “going Frog.”

If you liked this article, check out more material from Heisenberg's Fun House.

© Copyright 2001-2009 John Hawkins
	hit counter